Nymoria

It didn't take long before the weasel had begun to move. At first, Nymoria had thought that it was going to make an escape, to rush down to the ground and take off. Instead, however, it had shifted down her front, placing the treat in it's mouth and using it's paws to cling to her clothing as it pushed against her hovering hand. Gently, with an ease and hesitation that bespoke her uncertainty, she let her hand run over it's form, feeling the softness of it's coat as the tips of her fingers brushed along it's spine. The creature wasn't long, barely the length of her forearm from tip of it's nos

She'd tossed out another treat at some point, coaxing the small vermin in closer and closer, until it had eventually found it's way onto her leg, then up to her shoulder. It had perched there, nibbling on the most recent piece of food that she had provided for it, contently chittering in between bites. Nymoria had remained still once it had moved it's way up her leg, fearful of causing it to spook and run away, but as the time passed and she felt her tenseness fading away, she began to realise that it may not be going anywhere after all. It seems to be getting comfortable, now. Or at leas

As soon as the weasel had finished chewing on the treat that it had originally taken, Nymoria reached into the pouch and procured another of the treats, placing it on the ground where the first had been placed. The weasel hesitated a few seconds before leaping forwards and repeating it's action, grabbing the treat and jumping back to the spot it had settled onto before. It seems to enjoy these, I wonder what's in them? Probably something sugar-like for creatures, if I had to guess. It's no wonder it wants more of them. She laughed aloud at the image of the weasel jumping into a pile of sugar,

The weasel dashed forwards as Nymoria was contemplating what else she could do in order to convince the weasel to approach her. She froze, her entire body going stiff as the thing shuffled up before her, grabbing the treat and pausing as it looked up at her. The two remained still for a while, before Nymoria eventually reached out a hesitant hand, seeing what the creature would do. Almost immediately it dashed back to where it had been sitting, carrying the treat along with it. Nymoria made no move to chase after it or follow it, instead content to let it nibble on the food. She figured

The weasel had approached slightly and sniffed at the piece that Nymoria had left on the ground, it's nose twitching as it considered the treat she had offered as a means of peace between the two of them. However, a sudden cramping in her leg had caused her to shift, and the weasel had darted back to safety, stopping a metre away and staring at her with an untrusting look upon it's face. Sighing slightly and wincing at the situation, she moved her hands in a form of apology, touching her forehead before bringing the movement down in a slow version of the normal chopping motion. I'm sorry.

The creature remained still as Nymoria held the bag out for it. She could feel her legs beginning to ache beneath her, and knew that she wouldn't be able to hold the crouch for much longer. Letting out a shaky breath, hoping that the movement wouldn't scare the creature away entirely, she let herself slowly shift until first one, then the other knee had touched the ground. Her eyes shifted around, making sure that she was alone with just the weasel still, before refocusing on the small critter still in front of her. It hadn't run away, thankfully, but Nymoria noticed it also hadn't come any cl

She held herself still as she watched the weasel from a distance, wondering if it would run away from her like the other animals. She couldn't quite make out any of it's expressions from where she was at, but she thought that it's body language appeared tense, as if it were considering it's next move carefully. Patiently, as patiently as she could be at least, Nymoria held herself in the crouch she had entered. She knew that if she moved suddenly it would likely disappear, leaving behind any chance of coaxing it closer. She had just begun to feel the cramp in her legs, when the thing began to

There was peace as she walked through the woods. Nothing had leapt out towards her following the encounter with the monkeys, and although she had seen the signs of other animals, most had scurried away long before she could even attempt to spot them. Her path had shifted at some point, and eventually she found herself heading back towards the edge of the woods. Perhaps I should turn? Head off the main trail? But then I risk getting lost if I go too deep...without any teleportation crystals that doesn't really seem worthwhile. It may be better to just...remain on this path, and perhaps search s

She wasn't entirely sure how long she had sat and let the sobbing take over her. It had been long enough that when she had looked up, the forest around her had returned to normal - any signs of her previous conflict with the monkeys had been eradicated as the system naturally reset itself. Her sides hurt, both from the fight, and from her explosion of emotion following, enough that she found it uncomfortable to remain seated any longer. Not that she entirely desired to leave the area that she had settled into; there was a safeness to it that called her in closer, as if desiring her to remain f

She feinted to her left, shoving off and pushing back towards the monkey in a desperate attempt to confuse and catch it in a sudden attack. Her sabre slashed through the air as the creature fumbled it's movement, and Nymoria was pleased to find herself dashing through the exploded shards that remained of the creature. Ha! There we go, that's finally dealt with...and, I think that's all of them... She glanced around, making certain that she was actually alone for the time being. Only once she had confirmed that nothing had been hiding behind the nearest trees, did she sheath the sabre. Th

Her feet carried her across the ground faster than the monkey could move, and she quickly closed the distance between it and herself, bringing her sabre up in a wide arc aimed at it's back and side. Knowing it couldn't outrun her, the thing suddenly leapt off to the side, clambering towards a tree in the likely hopes of escaping in the branches above. Nymoria dashed after it, closing in and pushing it once more off in another direction, denying it the immediate safety that it desired, even if she wasn't able to land any strikes against it. The dance continued for several minutes before

The first of the creatures shattered into a shimmering collection of shards, leaving Nymoria alone with just the final opponent. She took a risk as it paused, ensuring that it was the only remaining creature in the vicinity, before locking her focus on it once more. Suddenly timid, it held back from rushing forwards to meet her, as if no longer outnumbering her gave the thing pause. She wondered if she could escape, given the fact that it seemed less likely to push towards her, but shrugged off the idea as she realised retreating may give it the courage that it needed to chase after her once m

Her sabre flashed through the air once more, attempting to cut through the two monkeys as they dashed towards her, barely missing the first one as it dived underneath her blade. She stumbled backwards, her blade managing to cut the second creature and send it tumbling to the side, before she felt the claws of the one she had missed digging into her side. The wound was little more than a simple cut, but Nymoria felt the panic rising within herself. The creatures may not have been overly dangerous - in fact, as she considered them, they were likely no real harm to her if she remained calm and co

Her blade had lashed out again as the creatures came close, their twinned movements another clear attempted to push her further towards the brambles. She had made the movement without consideration towards the possible danger of it, letting her guard drop in a desperate attempt to keep them away from her, to give herself some space to move even as they tried to harry her towards an impending doom. She wasn't sure if she actually cried out during the movement, or if the noise was simply in her head - but for whatever reason, the monkeys had stopped moving as her blade came out and around, leavi

Their smaller forms allowed them a speed and agility that Nymoria found was difficult to keep up with. Even with all of her practice as of late, she found herself having to retreat further and further back from the pathway she'd been following, slowly pushed towards a collection of trees and brambles that had been off to her left. Every time she had tried to readjust the direction, one of the two creatures had appeared in order to dissuade her, their very presence putting her on the defensive as her sabre worked to block and redirect their claws. They're going to push me into the bramble

A sudden shift of shadow to her right caught her attention, and Nymoria turned to find a pair small, bipedal creatures watching her. Each of them was covered in short hair, and although they moved on two legs, if was clear that they used their longer arms to support and control their movement. A long, winding tail that seemed to curl in around itself swung casually behind each of the creatures. The large, beady eyes, which might have looked cute or appealing in the right light, instead looked almost frightening in the dark shadows that drifted over the forms. Nymoria felt her hand go to

The further she delved into the forest, the more she found herself criticizing her earlier reactions. Far from the confining, overwhelming and strangling environment that she had somehow imagined, she found a wondrously welcoming and somewhat cool path leading beneath the foliage. Above her the trees reached towards the sky in a way that felt both imposing, and protective, as if they were sheltering her from the dangers that awaited above their coverage. They remind me of onee-chan in a way...they stand overtop of me, watching me, reminding me that they're bigger and older and more power

She reached for the pouch that she had placed into a pocket, moving in a slow and careful manner so as not to startle the thing. Even as her hand had begun to move, she saw the squirrel twitch, it's eyes turning to focus on her. Worried that she was going to scare it away, she had paused, stopping in place as she tried to figure out what to do next. There's no choice. I'm going to have to take a risk, and hope that it doesn't get too spooked. If it does...well, I can deal with that when the time comes. But if I just stand here frozen in place, I'm not going to get anywhere...so let's just...do

Her hand had naturally drifted towards her sword, resting on the sabre as she moved further into the woods. Her steps were careful, feeling out for solid ground before truly placing her weight upon each foot. Her eyes roamed the area, slow and steady so as not to cause herself to lose sight, or create any spell of dizziness. She found a measure of content in a slower pace, letting her remain alert while still moving forwards. She was certain that it would've caused friction between herself and other players if she'd been doing this in a group. Okay I've been walking for about ten minutes

The mantra soothed her enough that she was able to take a step towards the forest. Slowly, she took another, and then another. The movements brought her to the edge, and as she passed the invisible line into the woodlands themselves, she felt the tension that had build suddenly wash away. Her eyes roamed around, constantly looking for any signs of movement, trying to watch everything all at once. She paused near a tree, reaching out a hand to steady herself as the dizziness from her shifting gaze suddenly caused her to sway. I can't watch everything and where I'm going all at once. I need

It was, she knew, such a silly thing to be getting freaked out over. Yet she couldn't help it as she stared at the woods. The darkness seemed to press around her, convincing her that only danger and death lay within the coverage that the woodlands provided, and as much as her mind tried to tell her otherwise, she found herself worrying. This game is a death game, it makes sense that you would be worried about the unknown...but so are all the people fighting on the frontlines. So is ever other person trapped here. If they can...no, no don't think that. You can do it, because you have to do it.

The feel of the stick in her hand was oddly comforting; similar in a way to the sabre always brought her a measure of peace and control. She'd picked it up with the intent of drawing the various wild animals she could think of, and although she'd made some progress, she was sure there were many others she was missing. She stared down at the various small drawings before her, trying not to laugh at the obvious lack of talent that she had with the artistic designs. Okay, we have...squirrels, and chipmunks and mice and rats, spiders, snakes, bears and wolves, wild cats and panthers...various

It all fell silent at once, the voices in her head, the rushing blood building inside her. It washed away in a sudden flood, leaving her feeling hollow. She reached down, running her hands along her legs as she stared at the ground. She knew that it had been getting worse lately, the feelings within her becoming unbalanced as she continued to fight against the despair - a battle that she was certain she was losing. In truth, she was somewhat amazed that she had lasted this long against it, that she hadn't given up yet. That's because you know, in your heart, that they're waiting for you.

She slammed her hand into the left side of her head, causing herself to slam into the ground as she physically forced the thought away. It was the exact words she had used once before, right before the incident that had left her family torn. The fear had grown inside herself again, tearing into her heart as she worried that she was headed for the same thing, knowing that there would be no coming back, no stopping. Not in this world, not where there was no one to find her. You can't. You can't do that. They're waiting for you outside. They're waiting for you to come back to them, again. T

The panic attack passed, leaving Nymoria feeling more defeated and exhausted. Sighing, realising that she was in no condition to traverse through the woodlands as she was feeling, she settled into the grass. As much as she hated wasting the time, time which could be used searching for something of companionship, she knew that it would be more dangerous than if she were to rest and regain her strength. She reminded herself that morning had only just begun in earnest, and she still had lots of time in the day to sort out the quest, once she was truly ready for it. Am I always going to be li